


As Breath Escapes Dry Lips

by Yugi



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Avatar & Benders Setting, Earth Bending is on Think Ice, Enemies to Friends, Everyone is a Bender, Everything Changed When The Fire Nation Attacked, Fire Nation (Avatar), Friends to Lovers, Gen, Getting to Know Each Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, The Gaang is not in this story, Water Bending and Air Bending are Illegal, this idea struck me at 3am and would not let me rest until i finally began writing it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-25
Updated: 2020-01-24
Packaged: 2020-07-19 12:27:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19974067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yugi/pseuds/Yugi
Summary: Summary: Escaping their village after their secrets were discovered, Annabeth Chase and Percy Jackson made a vow to take down the Fire Nation, single handed need be. They were fighting for the freedom for others, and freedom for themselves. Of course, when a perfect opportunity presents itself to infiltrate the Fire Nation, why wouldn't the two take it? The rage the pair felt towards the fire nation was an intense one, any opportunity was a a golden tone. Then again, the spirits work in mysterious ways.





	1. Chapter One

From a very young age, Percy was taught to keep his talent a guarded secret. His mother discovered his talent while trying to give him a bath while he was a fussy baby. Sally had finally gotten him in the metal tub when Percy let out an unholy screech and flung the water straight into his baffled mother’s face. It only took her a few seconds before the dread started to sink deep within her stomach, the only way that bad news can settle. Her blood ran cold, her hands began to shake in fear as she stared at her beautiful baby boy, splashing with glee at his newfound talent. It was then that Sally knew what she must do, and she was internally grateful to the spirits that she married Gabe when she did. Now, the anxious mother grabbed the rag she was intending to clean her baby with and got to work scrubbing his chubby cheeks, taking the splashes the child sent her way. Sally knew she would do whatever it took to keep her child safe.

Another stroke of luck was her relationship with Gabe, and how little he wanted to interact his child. Percy didn’t want to interact with his smelly father, and when growing up would often refer to him as “Smelly” or “Gross”. Sally had to agree, as her husband’s cleaning habits were not the best. But he did work in the mines, a job that meant he spent most of his days out of the house, and when he wasn’t working, he could be found at a local pub. Their neighbors didn’t say anything, but the worrying looks they’d send Sally’s way were merely brushed off. While it wasn’t an ideal situation, the mother was happy she could manage with this situation. After all, this small village was full of secrets, and in that matter, she was lucky that no one pressed for answers. That was until they meat the new arrivals, the Chases.

Darling Annabeth Chase was everything Percy needed in a playmate, only she was almost hungry for knowledge. There was always a question on the tip of her tongue, curiosity often burning in her grey eyes. Percy found her intimidating, but her blonde curly hair was nice to touch. He liked it when pulled it up in a ponytail, as it looked like a soft puffy blonde cloud. He frowned at his own wavy hair, wishing that his could be as pretty as her hair. Annabeth was quick to correct him, saying that dark black hair and green eyes was just as pretty of a combination as blonde hair and grey eyes. Since Annabeth said it, it must be true, and so Percy was satisfied for the time being.

But the brash girl was often placing Sally on edge, especially when Percy came to her and said that he hated lying to his best friend. But Sally was persistent in her only rule: no one was to discover what he was capable of. Her fears weren’t unwarranted, as the threat of the Fire Nation was every looming closer to their sanctuary. She knew that if anyone were to spill what Percy was capable of, in Earth Kingdom territory, their small family and the whole village was at risk for a raid. Percy understood, but she could tell her little boy was unhappy about it. He didn’t like lying in general and was often terrible at it when it came to the simplest thing. It was both endearing and terrifying, as Sally could only hope that whenever the Fire Nation came, and she had no doubt their safety was only temporary, he would be able to hide his talent better.

After all, a Water Bender should not be native to Earth Bender territory. Sally knew this more than most, but before she could go down that path, she shook her head and observed the two children playing in the living room. Percy was currently trying to out-jump Annabeth, who was laughing at him from above, her jumping graceful and higher than Sally thought imaginable. The mother often thought that Annabeth might be hiding some secrets of her own, but she shook her head sharply. The Air Benders had been the first villages targeted by the Fire Nation, there was no way some were able to escape. 

When the Fire Nation did arrive, Percy quickly found himself more anxious than he previously was. His comfort came in the form of his bending, and when those soldiers claimed their village as property of the Fire Nation, Percy stop his bending cold turkey. But the itch was always under his skin, his fingers flexing in movements like bending, but not close enough to be deemed suspect. Everyone who knew him knew that he was an energetic child and was finding a less chaotic way to let out access energy. Annabeth, sadly, always had a sharper eye when it came to these things, her eyes always calculating now. Instead of childish curiosity, her soft grey eyes had turned steel with the arrival of their wardens, calculating their every move and gesture. She discovered their routes and their routines, using her knowledge to avoid them to the best of her abilities. Of course, she included Percy in her schemes, as it would be foolish to do anything alone without having someone watching her back. Plus, there was something about Percy that just felt _safe_ to the blonde that she just couldn’t place her finger on.

Her friend was almost always smiling, despite the situation they were in. When the soldiers came into town, he tried to befriend them. Of course, the interaction was solely one sided, but these armored beasts found the benderless boy amusing, and allowed him to talk at them without a response. She thanked the spirits every day that he returned home to his worried mother, who could be found fretting over him more times than not. The girl thought it odd of how protective Sally became after the Fire Nation invaded, as Percy wasn’t a mischievous boy who strove to cause chaos. No, in fact chaos seemed to have taken a liking to him, causing trouble to follow him like a shadow. He seemed to have the devil’s luck when it came to bizarre situations that the two always seemed to get themselves into.

The curious girl often pondered why this was the case, but her mother often told her that sometimes mysteries were the best answers. She hated of wise her mother was, and how she refused to gift her daughter with said knowledge. It seemed that her mother got some sort of delight seeing her struggle with finding her own answers, but her lips always remained shut when it came to Annabeth questioning her. She would only every discuss the walls of Ba Sing Se and the stupidity of such things. She would often mutter phrases that didn’t quiet make sense to her daughter, but she savored each piece of information like it was sacred. What she’d learned from her mother’s mutters were the fact walls only kept those contained within and did little to keep intruders out. In fact, walls seemed to do more harm than good, separating sister villages and making the process of seeing one another more difficult. Annabeth couldn’t help but agree, as she saw these walls as a means of selfishness of containing resources from an unknown threat, the idea of the Fire Nation enough to bring about those walls. Ever since, all contact with their trading partners have vanished.

Percy only seemed to get angry at the mention of Ba Sing Se, stating that only an unwise and selfish ruler would ever section off one village to protect and leave the others to defend for themselves, with their resources no longer being traded. He gets more furious with the situation while Annabeth contemplates it and wonders what solution can be made to assist both parties. Would it be best for a new ruler to take the throne, or maybe there was a reason behind those walls? She wondered if she could ever get behind them and see what they were so eager to hide. The contemplative girl often heard their armed guards muttering about the city, calling it foul names and wondering why it refused to fall under Fire Nation rule. She wondered how long they’ve tried to gain access to their sister city, and how long they’ve failed to do so.

However, with the influx of new arrivals and now lacking trading partners, the town had to switch gears and start to become self-sufficient. Miners kept mining, and anyone who could Steel Bend would often help make studier buildings, tools for farming, or even repair broken equipment that was often discarded. Earth Benders were also sent to the mines, working together with the miners and collected the coal. They were heavily supervised under their warden’s rules. If they were to bend anything out of line, they were sent to the labor camps, which everyone knew was a death sentence. Those who were unwilling to fall into the knew order were taken care of, and the rest quickly fell in line.

Those who were skilled Earth Benders oversaw the farming, and those who could not bend were in the fields farming or helping the village wherever they could. Annabeth found herself working the shops with her mother, selling merchandise her mother collected or made, mostly tapestries of wonderfully dyed wool. They were lucky that Sally had a talent of creating dyes from the soils around them, and staining fabrics or wools for a small fee. Annabeth found that she wanted her talent, as her dyes were able to be applied to both food and clothing, the color not losing its potency. The girl found it incredibly interesting, and pestered Sally for years to learn under her.

This led to the fateful day of Sally inviting the persistent girl over to learn the simple trick to her technique. She knew her secret was safe with this child, as she was both a friend and someone Percy considered family. If Sally were honest, she would also consider Annabeth like a second child, and treated her like her own. However, she wouldn’t make this process an easy one, and those prying grey eyes needed to stay focused or else miss a step of the dying process.

Today, Sally wanted to make blue bread for Percy, as it was his favorite color and Gabe found colored food strange and disheartening. She overheard him telling Percy that there was no such thing as colored food, especially blue foods. He’d told her son that if he found anything blue, it was best to throw it away, as it could be venomous. This was around the time Sally was experimenting with these dyes, and she decided right then and there she would make these colored foods eatable. Now Gabe refused to eat at home, and it caused him to be farther away from them and more importantly, farther away from Percy.

However, on that same day Annabeth came over, the spirits felt the gentle winds of change blow through the air. They knew that whatever happened after the end of this day would be the beginning of changing times and knew to keep a close eye on the Jackson household. Those within aid household did not feel the gentle caress of change, although Annabeth paused in stirring her batter, something settling oddly across her shoulders, as if some burden had been placed there. But before she could ask if anyone else felt the same way, the door slammed open to a drunken Gabe stumbling into their household.

The noise startled the three in the kitchen, causing Sally to spin around to address her husband and Annabeth to drop her mixing bowl. Percy watched as the bowl fell from his friend’s hands, his own reached out to catch it. But he noticed that the bowl never made contact with the ground and hovered only a few inches away from his startled friend’s hands. His own eyes wide, he slowly looked up to see how panicked his usually composed friend was. Her eyes, usually brimmed with curiosity now looked like they were currently pleading with Percy for her life. With trembling hands, Annabeth quickly grabbed the bowl from the air and clutched it close to her. The movement was too sharp, and without meaning to her elbow hit her current drinking glass, causing it to tip on its side.

Before rational thought could take over, Percy lunged his hand outward to stop the water from spilling onto the floor, the only thought of saving his mother the trouble of a messy kitchen. He quickly placed the water into his own glass, Annabeth’s falling with a hollow noise onto the ground. The sound seemed to have caused whatever spell Annabeth was under, her eyes glued to her best friend with curiosity back into those wide eyes. Percy found that he never wanted to see those eyes so desperate, so fearful, ever again.

The very same noise that seemed to have broken whatever spell that was over Annabeth seemed to have summoned his mother back into the room, as she had walked Gabe to their room to sleep off his drunken state. Their eyes met, and whatever expression his face must have made caused Sally to rush to his side, the panic evident in her hurried strides. But Annabeth found her mind racing, trying to piece together what had happened in those quick seconds.

His mother began racking her mind about possible ways to explain what Annabeth might have just seen. It was impossible that she saw nothing, as water bending had a very distinctive hand motion. Plus, water normally does not hover in midair after being spilled. A quick glance at the blonde showed that not only did she see but her grey eyes seemed to be calculating. They kept switching between the glace, her hands, and Percy’s. Her brows scrunched together; concentration written all over her face as she was heavily contemplating something. Sally only wished she was piecing together her next words carefully, as if word got out Percy and her would need to escape. Her mind was already thinking of an escape route, when Annabeth let out a tense breath. The mother could see the tension resting in her shoulders, and she squeezed her eyes shut.

Carefully placing the mixing bowl down, Annabeth spread her fingers wide then tensed them, lifting one hand over the over, and suddenly the air around her hands began to shift and move, almost like—

The mother gasped softly, and Percy too a step forward towards his friend, a smile slowly spreading across his face. His mother staring at the only air bender she had ever seen, the last one she knew existed. She was foolish to believe the Fire Nation was able to kill them all—they were a resourceful type. The woman felt silly believing that rubbish, and took a deep breath, absorbing this newfound secret. If Annabeth kept Percy’s secret, then they family would keep Annabeth’s.

Percy was watching with amazement as his best friend was playing with the ball of air that was concentrated in the center of her hand, his eyes wide and grin plastered on his face, his frame vibrating with restrained energy. He locked eyes with his hesitant friend and turned back towards his glace of water, grabbing it and turning back towards Annabeth.

“Hey, watch this then!” Percy said, and flexed his water over the rim of the glace, causing the water to rise towards his hand. When the child rotated his wrist, the water followed and Annabeth’s gazed locked on the glace with fascination. Her ball of air slowly died out, her sole focus on Percy water bending. It felt like an intimate moment between friends that Sally felt like she was intruding. Suddenly Percy stopped and turned his attention towards his mother.

“Mom, since Annabeth knows can I go back to water bending? Please?” He asked in such a sweet way that it broke her heart to hesitate. Obviously thinking that Annabeth would turn against them was foolish, as she took had a big secret to hide. A secret bigger than Percy’s. She took a deep breath through her nose and closed her eyes, hoping she wouldn’t regret her decision.

“Yes, but only if you are together, and you are extremely careful. Annabeth and practice air bending and you can practice water bending, but you must do so in private and together. Never practice apart, am I understood?” Sally asked, and both children nodded in excitement. It broke her heart all over again to see these children look so hopeful, as they rediscovered their lives purposes.

Before, this was not the case. Before, this was a town full of wonderful people from everywhere. It was a town of refugees from different areas, some even from the Fire Nation before it became the monolith that it was today. Sally was cautious enough to hide her child’s bending when she herself had discovered it, and she thanked her lucky stars that she did. People turned in their neighbors who happened to be Water or Earth benders when the Fire Nation invaded their village.

No one expected this type of threat as it was at the base of mountain and it took very specific knowledge to find it. It may have been due to the small village growing larger to accommodate the influx of refugees. People were fleeing to find a safe place to live and raise their children after homes and villages were destroyed due to war.

After making sure that both children knew the new rules; water bending and air bending only at the Jackson’s house, and only when Sally was able to supervise. The more eyes on them the better, she said, which Annabeth had to agree with. The two of them were good at avoiding the Fire Nation soldiers, especially considering Percy’s relationship with said soldiers. But with Sally watching out for them, they could solely concentrate on themselves and each other while bending, offering advice or just to watch the other practice. It felt exciting to break the rules like this, but this peace was not meant to last.

During the after math of one of their training sessions, Sally had returned to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Annabeth and Percy lay on their backs staring at the sky and thinking about their new routine. Annabeth would come over after she had finished helping her mother at the market, and then it was straight to training. Since Percy’s mother was an Earth Bender, she did her best to offer then basic tips for practice, but with elements like Air and Water, there was only so much she could do.

Annabeth found herself wondering how Percy could be a Water Bender, seeing as his mother was an Earth Bender and his father was from Earth Bender decent. It made more sense than not for Percy to be an Earth Bender than a Water Bender. Which led to Annabeth asking, out of curiosity, if Percy was sure he was related to Gabe.

After a moment of thinking about it, Percy shrugged his shoulders.

“I’m not really sure who my real father is, only that Gabe married my mother when I was really young. She said something about how the man before Gabe was someone who only stayed at the village for a short period of time. Then, there was me on the way and him on his.” He sighed and rolled over to face his friend, her head already turned towards him.

“Why?”

“I was just trying to figure out how you could possibly be a Water Bender if everyone in your family was an Earth Bender. It just doesn’t make sense.” Annabeth said, and Percy shrugged again, the topic clearly not bothering him.

“I think my father must have been a Water Bender, but I doubt that I will ever meet him. I doubt he even wants to meet me. That’s why my mom is the most important person in my life.” Percy said, and it struck Annabeth more than she would have liked to admit. She had to keep her family history a secret, but at least she knew it. Percy was not given that luxury, and she was not sure if he ever would. Whoever his father is, he must be very important for Sally not to tell her child.

“Maybe you should ask your mother where he could be, if you wanted to see him.” Annabeth said, the suggestion causing Percy’s nose to wrinkle.

“Why would I want to do that when my real family is already here with me?” Percy asked, and then sat up off the ground. Clearly the conversation was over, but something about Percy’s father felt important to Annabeth. She wasn’t sure why, but she felt like she was onto something important. The curious teenager made a mental note of asking Sally later.

Sadly, that time never came. The next day came in the Annabeth’s panicked faced and rapid breathing. Her face pitched in fright and her lips were quivering. Sally had never seen her like this, and she was early to her training session.

“Annabeth, sweetie what’s wrong? Just breathe with me, okay? Deep breaths now.” Sally said, and the frighten child’s pants became manageable. She grabbed onto the mother’s arms and looked her dead in the eyes, her normally collected expression one of true fear.

“They got my mom and grandmother. They didn’t see me, but someone found out about us. They found out about Percy too. I don’t know how, but someone must have seen us. We have to go, now.” Annabeth said, and then quickly looked around to spot a familiar mop of black hair. Failing to see one caused her fear to spike and her heart to pound faster.

“Where is Percy?” She asked, and Sally slowly brought a hand in front of her mouth.

“I sent him to market to gather supplies, he should still be out there. Quickly I need to grab a few more things. I will meet you by the forest’s edge, but we need to find him and leave. Quickly and quietly, go back to market and find him. He may not know he’s being hunted.”

Nodding, Annabeth took off again, her heart in her throat as she pushed herself to move faster, unknowingly using air bending to push herself to her limits. She needed to save her friend and she needed to do it now. Lucky for her, Percy was making his way back to his mother’s house, supplies in hand. She grabbed him and maneuvered them behind the nearest building. He didn’t make a sound but shot his anxious friend a confused a worried look. She replied with a look of her own, clearing indicating that they would talk about this later.

“We need to get to the forest, now.” Was all she said, Percy nodding in response and the pair were off. They didn’t hear anyone after them, but they weren’t using the normal route to the forest’s edge. During their time with the Fire Nation, especially with Percy’s attempt to befriend them when these soldiers first arrived, they had developed their own way around their village. It wasn’t small enough that everyone could figure it out, but it wasn’t large enough to lose a tail easily. Because of this, the duo found a very specific way to shake a tail as well as reach their location at a decent time. The goal was to move quickly and efficiently, without any hesitation.

When they finally made it to their location, Sally wasn’t there to meet them. In fact, she was nowhere to be found. Percy walked around in a circle, looking over his shoulders to see if he could possibly catch a glimpse of his mother. Annabeth grew more and more anxious as time went on, the fear of the unknown and endless possibilities causing her to be on edge. Finally, what felt like hours for the two anxious teens, Sally arrived with two sacks. She handed one to each child, cupped both of their faced, and kissed their foreheads.

“I am so proud of both of you. You need to keep being brave, as I know you’re capable of. Now quickly, get out of here.” She said, and Percy gripped her hand currently cupping his cheek.

“What do you mean? Aren’t you coming with us?” He asked, and the heart break was evident in his voice. Annabeth realized that while she had lost her family today, Sally was all that Percy had. She did not know if her mother or grandmother would make it out of this mess alive, but she still had her father. Percy would have nothing after this, and Annabeth realized how important Sally truly was. She must have realized it too and pulled both children in a tight hug. Annabeth didn’t like to think this was the last time she was going to be able to hug them. She hated that her familiar, warm hug felt like a final goodbye.

“I am so sorry, children, but I was followed. We don’t have much time. I will shield you from view, but you both need to go. I love you both so much.” She said, and Percy made a noise similar to a wounded animal once his mother pulled away. There were tears in her eyes, but she was smiling at both of them. She stood watching them, and Annabeth knew that if she didn’t drag Percy away, he wouldn’t leave his mother’s side.

Sally was giving her a look, one that said for her to watch over her son. She nodded and grabbed Percy’s hand, and quickly pulled them both away. Percy was crying, but he was running with Annabeth, the found of the Fire Nation’s guards coming closure to them. They continued to bob and weave through the familiar forest, until it became unfamiliar to them. They didn’t stop until the only noises they could hear were the animals in their natural habitat their panicked, labored breaths.

Finally, when it was deemed safe, Annabeth stopped their escape dash and pulled Percy to stop with her. Breathing hard, the two collapsed on the ground, doing nothing but breathing and focusing on intaking air. Finally, wiping the sweat from her brow, Annabeth chances a glance at her partner in crime, and found him staring at the sky. She hadn’t notice while they were running, but the sun was now setting and the clearing they were currently resting in was the perfect lay out for camping grounds. They could rest here for the night and come up with a plan for the next day.

She sighed and heaved her aching body upwards and grabbed the sack she had thrown off her back before she had collapsed. Pulling out a bedroll, she took another glance at the boy next to her, his expression now full of determination, and he suddenly sat up with such force it startled her.

“Annabeth, I am going to stop this stupid war and save my mother.” He said, and Annabeth paused in her actions, staring at him. She took in his face, full of determination and hatred for this situation. His jaw was set, and the boy she knew was gone, like the girl she knew herself to be was no longer.

“Not without me you’re not.” She said, and a ghost of a smile on his chapped lips.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Was his response, and with that conversation lulled to a stop. They then prepared for camp that evening, pulled their sleeping mats close together, and huddled together under the protection of a tree to keep them safe. In the middle of the night, their hands had found each other, gripping each other out of fear, desperation, and worry for the future to come.

But at least in this moment, they had each other.


	2. Wandering Journey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the new dawn came with it new problems: what to do with their current situation. They couldn’t go back to their village—it had be overrun by the Fire Nation. They also couldn’t settle themselves in another village, they would be pegged as outsiders on sight, and may be ousted from said village or turned over to the police force.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry this is so late, I can only say that motivation was hard to come by, and only now do I find joy in writing again! Please enjoy this new chapter, I tried to make it longer to make up for the fact I haven't posted in months!

With the new dawn came with it new problems: what to do with their current situation. They couldn’t go back to their village—it had be overrun by the Fire Nation. They also couldn’t settle themselves in another village, they would be pegged as outsiders on sight, and may be ousted from said village or turned over to the police force.

Percy groaned and rolled onto his back, rubbing his eyes in frustration. He didn’t know what to do, he didn’t have a plan, and he didn’t have his one constant to lean on—his mom had sacrificed her livelihood to insure they had escaped unharmed. The water-bender was lucky to even have Annabeth with him, as she seemed to be keeping a level-head about the situation. In fact, it was her idea to come up with a plan.

“Alright, water-brain. I know this isn’t ideal, but we have to do something about our current situation.” She said, standing over him with her arms crossed, her eyes narrowed with concentration as she took in his form. He couldn’t imagine he made a pretty picture, and he crossed his arms in response.

“I know, but what is there to do? We can’t go back, and we can’t really find another place to settle down, and all I can think about is charging the Fire Nation single-handedly for what they did to us.” Percy said, knowing full well his voice cracked at the last statement, causing the air-bender’s eyebrows to scrunch with concern.

“I understand, I’m not saying we shouldn’t do anything, I’m saying that we need a plan before we do anything. You see the difference?” Annabeth said, and it may have been Percy’s imagination but the way that the rising sun hit her golden, curly hair, though tussled seemed to make her glow above him. Her eyes were set with determination, her frown was still present, but Percy found it reassuring. She may not hold all the answers, and she knew that herself, yet she was placing her faith in each other for a better outcome.

Percy nodded, giving the girl above him a half-hearted smile.

“I hear you, alright? I guess sitting here and moping isn’t doing us any good. Let’s get washed up and fed before we start brain storming, alright? I’ll even let you go first?”

Annabeth snorted, rolling her eyes but extended her hand to him, which he took, and they stood together.  
“I except you to smell less fishy, water-brain.” She said, taking her exit to Percy’s exclamations that he did indeed not smell like fish!

After a good rinsing, Percy waded deeper into the river they’d found to start catching some fish. Using his water-bending, he started to carefully shift the currents of the river to guide whatever fish may be nearby closer to himself, to better catch them and guide them to shore. Annabeth watched him from said shore as her friend guided floating water spheres of fish into a waiting basket that she herself had weaved.

After a while she stood, stretching her legs before using her bending to launch herself into the trees above. Percy would be fine; she teased him for his denseness, but his head was well on his shoulders. She felt confident in leaving him to his devices while she picked nuts and berries found in the trees, as much as her make-shift pouch could handle, made of large leaves from said trees.

While up there, she began to think of their next options. They could just stay here, but neither would be content leaving the situation as-is. She felt tears prick her eyes as she thought of the last moments of her family, of saying goodbye for the last time. She thought of the new family she had made, and how she had to say goodbye again to people she loved for her own survival. After meeting Percy and his mother Sally, Annabeth wasn’t sure she could take another goodbye from someone who meant so much to her. But what could they possibly do? Their options were limited with the current conflict and their abilities something they couldn’t openly use.

The Fire Nation had taken over the majority of the Earth Kingdom, Ba Sing Se being the only one untouched by the oppressing tyrants. They were impregnable, the symbol for others not to lose hope against a hopeless situation. They may be able to make it there, but that didn’t help solve the issue of how they could help. Maybe, they could help without being themselves? Percy broached that topic when Annabeth touched the ground once more.

“Hey, Annabeth?” Percy asked, now kneeling in the river, no longer focusing on catching fish but just floating in the river. The girl in question raised her eyebrow, making a humming noise to confirm that she’d heard him.

“What’s it like living in other places?” The water-bender asked, causing the air-bender to stare at him in surprise. He wasn’t looking at her, still staring at the river, but his face was open, curious, and relaxed. He didn’t seem accusatory, merely fishing for information.

“Well, I lived a little bit of everywhere. My mother and I moved a lot, but for a while we had to separate for our own safety. It was when we were crossing Fire Nation territory, a small village we had thought was still under the rule of the Earth Kingdom. So, two outsiders stand out more than one outsider, and we decided to pass through and regroup beyond the boarder. The problem was, it was a lot easier said than done.” Annabeth said, taking a breath and waiting to see if Percy would say anything.

He didn’t, only shifting to sit in the river towards her, his head resting on his hands as he looked at her with open curiosity, no judgement in sight. Annabeth shook off her nerves and continued with her story.

“As soon as I was alone, I got caught. I was okay, the guard who caught me assumed that I was an orphan and walked me to where the local orphans must have been kept. It was there that I met Luke and Thalia, two of the most important people in my life. They quickly took me in, as they knew how rough it was to be on your own. Luke was also an outsider, but Thalia was born and raised in the village. I didn’t learn much about their pasts, and I didn’t ask. I just wanted to meet my mother as soon as I was able.

“But I soon learned that sneaking around as an orphan had it’s advantages, as well as its disadvantages. No body oversaw you or was looking after you. That meant that you had to look out for yourself. I only had myself to rely on, but Thalia and Luke made it easier for me. I began to think about letting them into my family, I can convince myself that my mom would be alright looking after two more additional people while we searched for my grandmother. I had a lot going on at that time.”  
She said, seeing Percy’s eyebrows scrunch in confusion. He nodded and she cleared her throat, the next part of her tale less pleasant.

“The problem with being an orphan was you became a possession of the Fire Nation, and if they wanted to use your bending abilities for the progression of their war. Orphans had no one to speak up for them and used as foot soldiers. Since Luke was older than us, I felt him being eyed by the troops stationed, and grew nervous for him. I wanted to help him get out of there too, and so I didn’t hesitate to come up with an escape plan with them. It was about two months in that I decided they needed to know everything. We decided that we needed to leave, and we needed to leave soon. I had no idea where my mother was, if she was still waiting for me, and I wanted to save my new friends.

“It was going fine, until it wasn’t. We got caught, Thalia was helping me across the boarder while Luke kept watch. He distracted the guards, and when Thalia got me over the wall, she went back for him. I don’t know if they’re still alive, but I hope that they are. They saved my life that night, and because of them I was able to find my mom in the village over, waiting for me with my grandmother. Being reunited felt amazing, but it also felt bittersweet knowing I had left my new friends behind.

“But after that, we just drifted from place to place, never staying too long as to not draw suspicion to ourselves. Then we found your village, hidden within the forest, the perfect cover. But I guess to answer your question, yes, I have been a little bit of everywhere, why did you ask?”  
Percy shrugged, but his best friend knew better. She pulled her legs to her chest, resting her chin on her knees and began to wait out the boy in front of her. He had something he wanted to say, but he was finding the words either difficult or hard to string together. Finally, he shrugged and pushed himself into standing.

“I like hearing your stories from all over the place, I never knew anything but the village I grew up in, so it’s nice to hear about where you’ve been. Even if it hasn’t been the best experiences.” Percy said, not looking at her and resumed his water-bending. Annabeth made another noise that she heard him and stood herself.

“I know that they’re alright—both are just so strong and wouldn’t go down easily in a fight. They may be out there, waiting for me. They may even be able to help us.” She said, stretching her legs to once more leap into the trees, to think about their situation, when Percy said,

“Why don’t we become some sort of double agent? Like spies in the Fire Nation? If they’re already somewhere that is under Fire Nation control, then they might even be spies themselves, right?”

Before they could continue to discuss, there was the sound of soft footsteps coming towards them. Percy was close to brushing off the odd noise as an interested woodland creature, when Annabeth narrowed her eyes and leaped into the trees without another word. Percy immediately stopped water-bending and picked up the fish basket, as if it would shield him from whoever was out there.  
Taking a steadying breath, Percy braced himself for the potential new commers, debating what he would do if they were either friendly or not. The water-bender knew that Annabeth hadn’t betrayed him—she was better suited as a surprise attack if the need arose. They had discussed this tactic in the past—apparently Percy came across as the less-lethal looking one, strangely enough. Annabeth had just said he looked more gullible, but he was willing to believe that it was more of the chill-I-Won’t-Kill-You-Right-Away vibe he gave off.

Rolling his tense shoulders, he waited until the two finally made an appearance. They were a pair, one holding the other up, and they seemed to struggle to do so.  
They were both dressed in Fire Nation guard uniforms, but something felt off to Percy. He hesitantly lowered his fish basket, and kept his arms uncrossed and in view. It looked like the two guards had yet to spot him, so he may have some time to look more relaxed and less on edge. His heartbeat quickly in his chest as he eyed the potential threat, but something was telling him to wait.

He shifted his feet, the nervous energy made him feel like he was vibrating. But Percy stood his ground and waited to be spotted, acting as casually as one could in the face of the enemy. The one supporting the other noticed him first, and drew back hastily. Something in the moment caused Percy to frown, and he stepped forward with his hands raised.

“I promise you that I am no threat to either of you. I’m merely fishing on the riverside by basket catching. As far as I knew, this wasn’t Fire Nation territory. Was there an expansion while I wasn’t looking?” Percy asked, as he tried to keep his voice light and confident. The knowledge of Annabeth waiting for his signal helped with that, as well as the hesitance of the two in front of him. There was a tense silence before the one guard relaxed their stance, and slowly placed the second guard in a sitting position by the tree line, propped up against one of the thicker trees. They then turned towards Percy and slowly removed their face plate, showing the eyes of a very stressed out person.

“I am choosing to trust you,” said a shaky voice with an attempt to be confident, “do not make me regret it.”

“I understand, okay? How about a quick introduction? My name is Percy.” He said, a small smile on his face. The person in front of him slowly nodded and with careful movements took off their helmet completely, curly light brown hair spilled out in a messy ponytail. Her golden eyes narrowed in consideration before she nodded, her features still showed hesitancy.

“I’m Hazel, the man I’m with is Frank. He’s kind of hurt, he got hurt…. And I’m not able to help him yet. Do you, maybe, have anything you could spare?” She asked, and Percy could tell that she didn’t like asking strangers for help. It showed how desperate she believed the situation to be, as he found himself nodding before he could fully comprehend doing so.

“Where is he hurt?” Percy asked, inching closer slowly as to not startle Hazel. She pointed to his thigh, which on closer inspection Percy saw had been burned, potentially more damage underneath the covered skin. He nodded and considered his options. They had supplies for minor injuries, but Percy had been practicing his healing abilities on both himself and Annabeth. Said abilities could only be used when he was water-bending, meaning that he would have to make the decision to trust these newcomers to not expose him to the rest of the Fire Nation.

As he was debating his options, Hazel sunk to the ground next to Frank, soft tremors started to rack her body, and became more violet as time went by. Percy noticed and immediately sank to her level, uncertainly placing a hand on her shoulder.

“Hey, he’ll be fine! I’m trying to figure out what I have that can help with these types of burns.” He said, as he had assumed this was what had upset her. Hazel took a couple deep breaths before she turned her head towards Percy, a small grateful smile on her face. It was in that moment Percy knew he’d expose his secret to help out, even if they turned out to be apart of the Fire Nation.

“Now, I’m going to heal him, but you cannot under any circumstances tell anyone what I’m about to do, alright?” He said, and as he stood up he heard specific rustling of tree branches, almost as if they were telling him this was a bad idea. He rolled his eyes and looked back to Hazel, who was looking at him in confusion. He smiled at her, even as he felt his heartbeat pick back up.

“A secret for a secret, okay?” He asked Hazel, who broke eye contact with Percy to look back to Frank, her wounded companion, who desperately needed help. She squared her shoulders, turned back to Percy, and nodded, determination had replaced at confusion or hesitancy that had been there previously. Her expression changing alone helped Percy relax some, and helped him gain the courage to do what his mother had taught him not to.  
Going back over to the riverside, he dropped into a stance and water-bent some water out of the lake and into a round sphere. Carefully, he brought the water over to his hands, and with concentration, he covered his hands with the water. With careful steps, and walked back next to Hazel and Frank, and sunk to his knees.

“Show me the worst of the burns.” He said, and after a moment Hazel pointed to the middle of his exposed thigh. Percy concentrated once more, as he focused the healing energy into his hands as he gently rested them against the injured thigh. He felt his hands begin to grow warmer, a sign that the healing process was taking place, and saw that his hands were indeed glowing a faint light blue. He didn’t dare look to see if Hazel was watching, as he focused all his attention on healing the injured man before him. His face plate and helmet were still on, but from the slump of his shoulders and the way his head was placed, Percy had assumed he was unconscious.

The water-bender hoped that he stayed that way, as healing took energy out of the healer and he wouldn’t know what to do if he became useless and both Hazel and Frank decided to turn on him.

While he healed Frank, Hazel settled next to him to watch the process. They didn’t speak for a while, and unprompted Hazel began to tell Percy their story. They wanted out of the Fire Nation, and ever child that is taught within Fire Nation territory are almost brainwashed to believe that they freely join the military, when not joining is not an option. She was a special case—she was actually an Earth Bender, who specialized in locating specific gems beneath the Earth’s surface. Her mother was the same, and she had trained her when her abilities came to light. She doesn’t know much of her father, but she knows he must’ve been an Earth Bender. She found Frank during their training days, and found that while he was a Fire Bender, he hated the idea of going to war. He found pointless battles just that, pointless and in no means made progress for the betterment of the Empire. He sought to find a better way, but the current leader of the Fire Nation only saw progress through flames and destruction, and there was no way that words would get through to him.

She and Frank were looking for a way out—they didn’t want to enlist, but they had to. While making their escape, Frank too a shot that was meant for her, which had hindered their progress of getting away quickly. Hazel clenched her fists against her knees as she spoke, her teeth gritted together as he talked about half-dragging Frank further and further away from their base, feeling as if they were let go on purpose. She didn’t know why, maybe they were too unimportant to kill immediately, but she was just happy that she had survived the ordeal. Now she wanted to focus on making sure that Frank survived as well.

Percy said nothing and allowed for Hazel to speak as he processed what she had said. From the sound of it, they were both deserters with insider knowledge of a local Fire Nation base. This was knowledge that both he and Annabeth could potentially use in the future, if Hazel and Frank decide to help them. He looked at the wound beneath his hands—this was the best he could do with such short notice. Carefully, he removed his hands and bended the water into the soil next to him. The wound looked better—it was no longer life threatening, but it would definitely scar. It should, hopefully, not hinder his walking, but he needed to go easy on it for a while. He could try another healing session tomorrow when he had more rest.

He relayed all that information to Hazel, to thanked him for doing this much, and decided that he needed to prepare dinner and call it a night. He stood again, this time on wobbly legs, when Annabeth made her appearance. She descended from the trees with such grace that Percy couldn’t help but admire, and casually walked into the clearing. When Hazel spotted her, she immediately sprang to her feet, which caused Percy to realize he had forgotten to mention he was not alone. In his defense, he was preoccupied.

“I see this Shell-For-Brains forgot to mention he wasn’t alone. Hi, I’m Annabeth.” Annabeth introduced herself, which then caused Hazel to relax and quickly do the same. When Annabeth got closer Percy quickly used her shoulder as a means of an anchor, and she could feel the effort it took for him to remain standing. She nudged him, upset that he used so much energy on an potential enemy, but he nudged her back with a huff, which caused her to blink.  
The Air Bender took in the sight before her, and with the bits of information she had heard, decided these two could camp with them tonight. But they would be preparing the meal, even if it was technically Percy’s turn to cook dinner. She turned her head towards Percy, and noticed his eyes were already drooping shut.

“Hey, Water Boy, go lay down. I can take it from here.” She said, and Percy nodded, yawned and walked to where he had slept the previous night. With one situation taken care of, Annabeth turned toward the girl in front of her—scared, helpless, but determined to keep fighting. She could get used to someone so similar as herself being in their group.

“I don’t know if you have experience with de-boning fish, but he won’t be of any help today. Want to lend me a hand before we lose daylight?” Annabeth asked as she gestured toward the basket of fish Percy had amassed earlier that day. With a jerky nod, Hazel agreed, and after making sure that Frank was comfortable, left with Annabeth to help prepare for dinner.

After they had started the fire, shared stories of their previous travels, Hazel had felt like her normally rotten luck had given her something she had been searching for—a place to belong. She hoped that Frank felt the same whenever he woke up, even if their situation was a bit bizarre. Anything was better than their previous situation, of that Hazel was certain. The dark-skinned girl felt her eyes drift over to Frank every so often, to make sure he was still alright. She owed him that much, as he had sacrificed so much to get them both out of their personal hell.  
“We can talk more in the morning, in the meantime let's share this meal.” Annabeth said, and offered Hazel a slightly singed fish she had been cooking. She took it, giving the other girl a silent thanks, and began to eat her first meal free form the Fire Nation.

If the ex-Fire Nation guard cried, neither of them mentioned it, as they ate in companionably silence as the sun set around them, signaling the ending of the day, as well as the burdens Hazel carried with her. While the setting sun didn’t quite signal the end of an era, it did feel like Hazel was leaving a part of her with the sun set, and with the sun rise she wasn’t sure what she’d find. But she knew she was no longer alone, and that small bit of information gave her comfort for the hardships to come. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for reading!! Please let me know how I did, and I appreciate possible theories on where this is going!!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! This idea literally will not leave my head, so I thought if I finally typed it out and posted, I would feel better and maybe be able to work on my other stories! Please let me know what you think! I'm still working out relationships and how I want them to work, so as of right now feel free to project to your heart's content!


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